Please sign in to post.

Getting around the Dolomites in late May - driving or public transit?

Posted by on

Hi all,

My sister and I are planning a trip to Northern Italy at the end of May. We'll be in the Dolomites from Tues 5/31 to Fri 6/3 and the plan is to use Cortina as home base during that time.

We're trying to figure out if we need to rent a car to make the most of our time or if we can finagle our way around using public transit. I'm having a hard time finding/reading bus schedules in Italian to see how convenient (or not) public transit might be - I've read in blogs that it's fairly doable in the busy season, but we'll be there more on the shoulder and I haven't found specific information.

We plan to spend the entire time out hiking and exploring the area. We haven't finalized what hikes we plan to do but we're choosing from these:
Lago di Sorapis/Lago di Misurina
Tre Cime
Lage de Braies
Lago di Federa

If we rent a car, it would be to/from the Venice airport, as we will be in that area prior to the Dolomites and fly out of Venice on 6/4. Renting a car obviously provides a lot of flexibility; public transit will save a good bit of money, so we're trying to get all the info to make an informed decision.

If you recommend renting a car, what type of vehicle do you recommend (i.e. is an SUV needed?!)? I know it's difficult to know the conditions two months in advance but we're spinning our wheels and I appreciate any and all feedback!!

Jamie

Posted by
12 posts

Hi Jaime, I'm heading that way next month and have the same questions. Did you end up renting a car or using public transportation? How'd it go?

Posted by
2 posts

Hi! We wound up renting a car and if I did it again, I’d do it the same way. We rented through sunny cars, who then partnered with Noliaggiare for our car and it all went smoothly. We paid somewhere around 550 euro for…five days, I think. It was pricier than bus tickets but worth it.

In May, the public transit wasn’t super reliable (not sure how it will be next month) and we wanted the flexibility to be able to explore as we wanted without being restricted to the bus lines. Driving in Italy wasn’t bad at all (I was nervous!) - just be careful of the speed traps if you wind up driving.

I’d recommend thinking about where your home base is and what hikes you’re looking to do - then see what makes sense.

We LOVED the Dolomites and I can’t wait to go back - have a great trip!

Posted by
390 posts

I have flown over the Dolomites in May and they are covered with snow. Which means that it will still have snow covered hiking paths and too cold in general for me.
Also check the cable cars,gondolas and funicolare, at earliest they open the last week in May,many not until June.
As far as renting a car not needed for me.
Sud Tryol has an excellent public transportation system, the combination of buses and trains is excellent.
I will be there from September 6 to September 20.
I base myself in Bolzano and a few days in Meran.
From Bolzano, for example, about an hour to Ortisei with the wonderful hikes and from Ortisei easy to access the Seceda cable car access.
From Bolzano about an hour to Caldero tram.
And of course Renton cable car and adorable small train are very close to Bolzano as in 20 minutes or so.
From Merano a wealth of wonderful walks both along the river and cable cars to go higher, too many other walks in Merano to list here.
So no need to deal with expense, parking, driving.

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.